


Awkward

by justanoutlaw



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Awkwardness, Baby Gideon, Baby Henry Mills (Once Upon a Time), F/M, Gold Family, Mama Belle, Pregnant Emma Swan, Reunion, Swanfire - Freeform, Unplanned Pregnancy, swanfire au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-23
Updated: 2017-04-07
Packaged: 2018-09-26 09:19:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9880490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justanoutlaw/pseuds/justanoutlaw
Summary: Rumbelle want to go out for a nice dinner, so they leave toddler!Gideon with his older brother Neal. Neal takes him out of ice cream where they bump into his high school sweetheart Emma Swan. It's awkward, especially when Gideon starts telling Emma all about how Neal is still in love with her.(Story now runs on prompts, so feel free to submit them!)





	1. Ice Cream

**Author's Note:**

> So, this was a prompt submitted to the Tumblr: swanfireprompts (not my Tumblr, just a cool place for people to submit in prompts for others to write). I played around for it a bit in my head, but I finally landed on a way to ride it.

Neal’s attempt at “flying the nest”, had him landing with a thud. After graduating from college with a degree in graphic design, he didn’t assume that it would be easy to get an amazing job, but he did at least think he’d get an internship. Even if it paid next to nothing, that would be okay in his mind. However, he had been turned down for each and every single one. He had ended up back at home, working as a barista for the café inside his step-mother’s bookstore. Every day, he was looking for work and had managed to do a few freelance things, but overall, his return back home had been a disappointing one.

 

It wasn’t that he didn’t like his family, in fact it was great. Until he was 15, it had been just him and his dad. His mother took off when he was born and was never to be seen since. Belle was the closest thing he ever had to a mom. His father married her 2 short years after they met and they welcomed Gideon a couple of years later. When his little brother began to learn to speak, Neal began calling Belle “Mama” to help the process and it just stuck. The household was loving and great, Gideon was adorable.

 

The issue was more so the town. Neal had never exactly had an excess of friends, it wasn’t something that bothered him, but having only your parents and toddler brother to hang out with, could be lonely. His friends from high school hadn’t returned home. Lily was still finishing up nursing school in Boston while August had opted out of college and traveled the world, he had his own blog to document his experiences. Neal himself had gone to school in California, so all of his friends from there were either on the opposite coast or sprinkled out over the country. There was only one person he knew very well that still lived in town and he had yet to see her.

 

Emma Nolan had been his best friend since they were babies. Their fathers had an odd friendship that no one really seemed to understand. While Ewan Gold was the ruthless landlord for many of the shops along with running a few of his own, David Nolan was the sheriff of the town and was known for his charm. Despite their clashing personalities, they were very close. It meant that while Gold would work, Neal went home with Emma after school. They played together and would occasionally argue-though they always made up.

 

Then it became the story old as time. They were dating by the time they were in their sophomore year and it was really like nothing at all had changed. He loved her, he always had. But, like most high school romances, it fizzled out the summer after they graduated. Emma wanted to stay close to home, she was very close with both of her parents and couldn’t imagine venturing far. She understood why Neal needed to go. At the same time, they weren’t going to ruin what they had with long distance, so it just ended. He hadn’t seen Emma since. With her father now retired, they spent their holidays and summers on vacation. It bothered him, he never stopped loving her.

 

He had gone so far to question Belle if she had any insight on her and what she was doing after college. It wasn’t that she was much of a gossip, but she often heard things. She said that Emma was working at the same school that her mother taught at, interning as a guidance counselor while she completed her degree.

 

“You still love her, don’t you?” Belle asked after a lull in their conversation. The two had been standing in the middle of the kitchen, cleaning up the lunch dishes. It was his day off and she had one of her managers handling things so she could spend more time with her boys.

“Mama!”

“Well?” Belle cocked her brow, giving off the look that she often did: _I know you better than you know yourself._

“Maybe,” Neal admitted, knowing there was no use in lying. Not to mention, Gideon was sitting on the floor a few feet away, playing with some of his toy cars. He would normally side with Belle to get him to tell the truth, even if he didn’t understand what the truth was.

“I knew it.” She shook her head. “I always thought it was silly that you broke up.”

“We were going to be on opposite sides of the country,” Neal argued. “Long distance never works.”

“So, you say.”

“Can we change the subject, please?”

“Fine. Your father and I want to go out tonight, any chance you could watch Gideon?”

“Sure.” Neal didn’t mind watching his little brother. It was better than going over his near empty resume a million times and then watching reruns of Law and Order on Netflix.

 

That night, Gold and Belle left for their dinner out, after giving Neal a million instructions, as if he had never watched him before. The two ate hot dogs and fries (one of the few things that the older brother knew how to cook) and there were plans to watch a movie. However, Neal could tell that Gideon was getting restless. It had rained all day, which meant he had been cooped up inside all day. The skies had since cleared up and what with it being just the beginning of fall, it was still light out pretty late and the weather was warm.

 

“Do you want to go get some ice cream?” Neal asked.

Gideon instantly stopped pouting and jumped out of his seat. “Yeah!”

Neal chuckled at the sudden mood change. “Alright, come on. I’ll get your shoes on and we can go.”

 

Their house wasn’t far from the shop, so they made the walk. Gideon insisted on jumping in each and every puddle on the way there. Neal had a sneaky suspicion that Belle was not going to be pleased with the state of his sneakers but at least they weren’t his nice ones.

 

“Just do your best not to splash me, bud,” Neal said with a smile.

“’Kay Nealy,” Gideon replied, though with his next jump, he got some droplets on his older brother’s jeans.

 

Having a little brother so much younger had been weird at first for Neal. He had been an only child his whole life and never expected to gain a sibling. Well, that was until his dad started dating Belle. She was a little younger than him, actually she was only 13 years older than Neal. It didn’t matter to anyone. At first Belle said that she would’ve been fine with no children. However, both were singing a different tune when Neal was in his freshman year of college. Gideon came along not much later. Neal felt a little guilty that he had only been around during holidays and summer breaks, but he seemed to make up for lost time in the short time since he graduated. Gideon was a good kid, he adapted quickly.

 

Once they arrived at the shop, Neal put in their orders and tried to keep Gideon entertained while they waited. It was no easy task; the toddler knew ice cream was on the horizon and was growing impatient. Neal finally relented and challenged Gideon into who could sing his favorite song the best.

 

“Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are…” Neal began as quietly as he could, not really sure how it was going to look, a grown man singing a nursery rhyme in the middle of an ice cream shop.

“Wow, quite the difference from Yaz,” a familiar voice came behind him. Neal’s eyes widened, he knew exactly who that was. Slowly, he turned around to take her in, smiling a bit.

“Hey stranger.”

 

Emma hadn’t changed too much since he had last seen her. She was a little skinnier and it appeared she had given up trying to straighten her hair, her natural curls were showing. Another thing she had given up, her big glasses. Even so, her green eyes had that familiar twinkle that went so well with her trademark smirk. He didn’t miss the little keychain that hung off a necklace around her neck. It was one he had given her when she got her license. She had loved it so much, she insisted on wearing it. Growing up, she had made him watch The Swan Princess so many times, that it was one that had the aforementioned bird on it. He was so caught up in the fact that she still wore it, that she missed the next part of what she said.

 

“I’m sorry, what?” He asked, his eyes going back up to hers.

“I was just saying, you got a kid now or something?”

“Huh?” Neal glanced down at Gideon, who was staring up at both of them, confused. “Oh, no. Um, this is my little brother, Gideon…”

“I know,” Emma said. “I’ve seen him with your parents sometimes. Just messing with you.” She laughed, a little awkwardly. Neither of them had ever been good in these types of situations.

“You’re Emma?” Gideon asked. He had seen her before, but he didn’t really know her too well. It wasn’t often she came around with David anymore. She had no reason when Neal wasn’t there.

“Yes,” she gave him a smile. “I know your mama and papa.”

“Oh.” Gideon was quiet for a moment, as his brother grabbed the ice creams from Ingrid and took a bite of his own. “Neal’s in love with you.”

 

Neal nearly choked on the frozen chocolate that was making its way down his throat. Emma’s cheeks flushed pink as she looked between the two Gold brothers.

 

“Gideon…I…I…” Neal stammered over his words, feeling like an idiot.

“Mama said you did.”

 

Neal wanted more than anything for the floor to open up beneath him and suck him inside. As if the situation wasn’t bad enough, he now feared Emma would find him more pathetic for talking to Belle about the issue.  
  
“Well…” Neal handed over the cup to his brother. “We should really get going…it’ll be Gideon’s bedtime soon and all…”

 

They started to walk away and Neal contemplated if it was possible for him to physically kick himself. His one chance to at least become friends with Emma again and it had been so awkward.

  
“Neal…wait.” He turned back around to face her.

“Yeah?”

“Do you babysit Gideon often?”

“No, just a one time thing. The parents wanted a date night.”

“Oh…well I’m going to be going to be at Granny’s tomorrow night, around 7. If you want to join me.”

Neal paused, unsure if she was being serious, until she gave him a sincere smile, letting him know that she was. “I’ll be there.”


	2. Table For Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompted by Anonymous on Tumblr: Awkward prompt: Emma and Neal have a date at Granny's as they promised. But Neal has to babysit again and brings Gideon there. The couple is hesitate to talk in front of the boy. Suddenly Gideon begins to tell the things he thinks he likes about Emma. He says this is a game that his parents often do and asks Emma and Neal to do this together.

Neal hadn’t been so worried about a date in 8 years, which incidentally had been his first one with Emma. He had dated since they broke up, but nothing serious, his main focus over the past 4 years had been school. He could still remember that first date like it was yesterday. Neither of them could drive, so Belle had dropped him off at Granny’s just as Mary Margaret’s station wagon pulled up with Emma in the passenger seat. Both of the older women had given each other a smile through their windshields as the kids headed inside awkwardly for a date of milkshakes and burgers. The awkwardness stuck over the whole date, they fumbled over their words and Emma accidentally spilled some of her shake onto Neal’s lap. Both were certain that it was an experiment gone wrong until Emma just kissed him. That’s when they knew that they had to try again.

 

_“Why did you do that?” He could remember asking her._

_Emma shrugged, her curls bouncing a bit as she did. “Always wanted to know what that felt like.”_

 

It was just Granny’s, not like some 5-star restaurant or anything. Even so, it was also a Saturday night and furthermore, homecoming. It would be crowded with a bunch of teenagers and some parents, the last thing he wanted was attention on them. Granny was going to be bad enough.

 

“Neal,” Belle’s voice interrupted him and he suddenly remembered where he was, at work. He slid the top onto the coffee cup and handed it to the customer, bidding them a good day.

“What’s up, Mama?”

“I know this is really last minute, but my father is being brought into surgery tonight, he broke his leg.”

 

Neal’s eyebrows knitted together. He didn’t know Moe French very well, he had only met him a handful of times since Belle had gotten with his father. Moe didn’t exactly approve of his only daughter dating someone so much older. Even after the birth of Gideon, he still wasn’t pleased. Moe lived a few hours away in Bar Harbor.

 

“I’m sorry?” He wasn’t really sure what Belle was getting at.

Belle smiled, understanding his hesitance. “It means that I have to go up there and be with him for a few days. It’s not an ideal situation to bring Gideon into and your father is still away on business…which means I need you to watch your brother.”

Neal shifted a bit. He had never watched Gideon for more than a few hours, he wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to handle him for the next two days until his father was due to return. At the same time, he could see his mother’s blue eyes looking at him expectantly. He had a hard time saying no to her. “Alright, alright. I’ll do it.”

Belle smiled and caught him off guard by nearly knocking him over in a big hug. He was definitely taller than her by then, but her hugs were still fierce. “Thank you. I’ll leave money for the two of you, you know his schedule and everything. I have Ariel coming to look over the bookstore while I’m gone, so you should be fine.”

 

As she walked away, his date with Emma dawned on him. A sigh escaped his lips. There was no way he could tell Belle that he couldn’t watch Gideon because of that but he also didn’t want to cancel with Emma. It had been sheer luck that she had asked him out and she probably wouldn’t have if it weren’t for Gideon’s little confession. He would just have to bring his brother with him. Emma had a younger brother as well, his name was Leo, though he was only 3 years younger than her in contrast to Neal having 19 on Gideon. Either way, they’d have to make it work.

 

A few hours later, his shift was over and Ariel had long arrived to take over for Belle. Neal was going to pick up Gideon and head back to the house. Before he could make it to Ashley’s “Little Pumpkins Nursery School”, he ran into Emma. She was a little more dressed up than he was used to seeing her in, wearing a grey pantsuit, her hair pulled back in a bun.

 

“Neal, hi,” she smiled.

“Hello professor,” he teased.

Emma rolled her eyes. “I just came from work, I was actually going to meet up with my dad for some coffee. But we’re still on for tonight?”

“About that…” He could see Emma’s face fall and he felt guilty, he didn’t want to worry her. “I’m not cancelling, it’s just…I have to bring Gideon.”

“I thought you said you didn’t have to babysit.”

“I didn’t. But my dad left town this morning for a business trip and Moe broke his leg, so Mama has to go be with him. I’m in charge of the runt.” Neal shrugged. “I’m sorry, we could always reschedule…”

“No.” The disappointment left her face and she smiled. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it, really. Gideon’s adorable. Plus, it’s not like it’s a date or anything.”

“Right.” It was his turn to feel a little disappointed. He wasn’t sure why he was so sure that it was going to be a date. “I better go pick him up…he’s at nursery school right now.”

“Of course, I’ll see you at 7.”

“See you at 7.”

 

Neal spent the next few hours trying to get himself and Gideon ready for their dinner with Emma. He just kept his brother in what he was wearing, but got himself dressed in a black polo and jeans. After watching a few reruns of Arthur, the two drove back into town, parking in front of Granny’s diner. As he had suspected, the place was packed, but he managed to find one free booth in the back, doing his best to follow Gideon as he ran there. They were a little early, so they took advantage of the crayons and paper the waitress had left for his little brother. Eventually, he heard the bell above the door ding and he turned his head to look.

 

Emma had changed out of her work clothes and was now in a red tank top and black jeans, her signature red leather jacket on top of it. He couldn’t believe that she still had that. She had received it on her 16th birthday and barely took it off after that. She looked beautiful, just as she always did. She caught sight of the boys and walked to the back, sliding in across from them.

 

“Hey guys,” she said.

“Hi Emma!” Gideon exclaimed before his brother could make any sort of greeting. “Are you eating with us?”

“I am.” She smiled. “If that’s okay.”

“Uh huh.” Gideon went back to coloring while Neal gave his ex a smile.

“Thanks for uh, not cancelling,” he said.

“It’s fine.”

 

Mrs. Lucas, or rather Granny as she insisted the kids call her, made her way over to the table. She was Ruby’s grandmother and growing up, she had always been there for all of the kids. She looked between Emma and Neal, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Well, well, well, this seems just like old times…” She trailed off when she saw Gideon sitting beside his older brother. “With a date crasher.”

Gideon smiled. “Hi Granny!”

“Hello sweetheart,” she gave him a smile before looking back over at her surrogate grandchildren. “What brings you two here?”

“Just wanted some burgers,” Neal replied, his voice a little sharp. Granny had always been nosy when it came to their relationship and while Emma found it hilarious, much like his father, it could get on Neal’s nerves. He still remembered the first time he had gone to the diner with his father and Belle. Granny had been all over that situation, trying to figure out what Belle was doing with the likes of Ewan Gold. “In fact, I think we’re ready to order. At least I am.”

Emma smiled and nodded. “I am too.”

 

They all ordered burgers with milkshakes and fries, though of course Gideon got the smaller portions. Once Granny had walked away, there was an uncomfortable silence that fell over the table. Neal and Emma had a lot they wanted to catch up on, but most of the stories were not appropriate for a 3-year-old’s ears. The former couple just kept staring at each other, opening their mouths, only to close them. It was just as awkward as their first date had been all those years ago.

 

“I like Emma because she’s pretty,” Gideon’s little voice suddenly interrupted the silence. Both turned to look at him confused. “And because she has a cool necklace.”

Emma smiled, her hand instinctively covering the swan keychain that hung on the chain around her neck. “Thank you, Gideon.”

“What are you doing, bud?” Neal asked, not quite understanding it.

“When Mama and Papa take me here, we play a game. We say what we like about each other.” He smiled a them. “You two should play it.”

“Oh…I don’t know about that…” Emma started to say.

“Yeah, bud, I’m not sure if that’s a game we could play,” Neal finished for her.

Gideon pouted a bit, folding his arms over his chest. “Mama and Papa would.”

Neal looked across at Emma, who was clearly a little flustered. Neither of them wanted to fold and go by a toddler’s demands, but it would be better than the awkward silence. He decided to go first. “I like Emma because she’s stubborn.”

Emma rolled her eyes a bit. “Well gee, thanks.”

“I’m serious, it’s a good thing and it can come in handy. Like that time you convinced your parents and my dad that we could go to that concert in Boston. You didn’t back down.”

Emma started laughing at the memory. “Oh, I almost forgot about that.” She smiled at Granny as she set the milkshakes down before walking away. “That’s one of the things I like about Neal, he has really great taste in music.”

“Really?”

“You’re the one that got me hooked on that song, Only You.”

Neal smiled at the memory. That had been their song. While most people were picking whatever the recent Top 40 was, that had just been the one that reminded him of her. “Well, I for one like that Emma still wears the keychain I got her.”

“Nealy got you that?” Gideon interrupted the game.

Emma grinned, touching the keychain again. “Yeah, when I started driving. But I liked it so much that I decided to wear it as a necklace.”

“You still wear it?”

“I do. It always reminded me of…” She trailed off, blushing a bit as she met Neal’s eyes. “Um, Storybrooke.”

Both knew what she really meant, but Neal didn’t push her on it. “It’s your turn,” he told her, softly.

“Right…” Emma thought for a minute, playing with the straw that sat in her chocolate shake. “I like Neal’s car. Or at least the one he had in high school.”

“I still have the bug,” Neal smirked. They had a lot of memories in that thing. From taking it on all sorts of crazy adventures, to the things they did in the backseat…it was almost a good thing that he had to leave it Maine when he headed to the West Coast for college.

“And it’s still running?” Emma’s eyebrows about shot off her head, causing Neal to laugh.

“Yeah, I had Tiny look at it when I got back. Plus, Belle would use it when I was gone.”

Emma’s smile returned. “Is it still up for an adventure?”

His smirk faded and a sincere smile fell across his face. “Just could be,” he said.

 

The rest of dinner went better than either of them expected. Gideon’s game had opened them up to talking about other things. They were still mindful over what was being said in the presence of little ears, but they found they had more to discuss than they originally thought. By the time dinner was over, Gideon was half-asleep in the booth, it was getting close to his bedtime. Neal lifted him from the booth and carried him out the bug. After making sure he was secure in his car seat, he turned to face Emma, a smile on his face.

 

“I had a lot of fun tonight,” he said.

“Me too. Who knew a 3-year-old could come up with such a fantastic icebreaker,” Emma teased, a twinkle of glee in her eye.

Neal chuckled. “I think he gets that from our mother.”

“Our mother. I had to admit, it was a little strange to hear you calling Belle “Mama” earlier.”

He shrugged. “It started out for Gideon’s benefit, but now…I don’t know. She’s more of a mother than Milah ever was.”

“I know that. I’m just glad things worked out for you.”

“Same with you, you’ve gotten everything you wanted. Never doubted you would, though.” Neal smiled. “You’ve always been the type to punch the world back until you got what you wanted from it.”

Emma returned his smile. “I guess so.”

 

The two stood there for a moment, afraid of another wave of awkwardness coming over them. Before it could, Emma stepped forward, kissing Neal. Neal smiled and deepened it for a moment. In that small kiss, it was like nothing had changed. They hadn’t broken up, gone to separate colleges. Time had just stood still.

 

Pulling away, they could see the truth. Time had passed, it had changed them. Though, one thing had remained the same. He still loved Emma Nolan and she still loved Neal Gold.

 

“I’ll call you?” Emma asked, hopefully, that smile back on her face.

“After that kiss, you better.”

She laughed again and kissed his cheek. “See you around.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I do take prompts for any of my verses or even to start off new ones along with answering questions about my writing on my fanfiction Tumblr: justanoutlawfanfiction.


	3. Distance Doesn't Erase Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompted by Anonymous on Tumblr. Awkward verse prompt: Neal can not pick up the calls from Emma. He and his phone have been occupied by Gideon who badly misses his parents. Emma finally finds it and helps Neal to convince the boy that people still care about their love if they are apart.

Emma was never the type to think that a boy had to wait to call or text nor that she should be expected to delay a response. She didn’t play those games, she hadn’t in high school and she didn’t in college. She had dated some, even had a serious boyfriend that later turned into a fiancé. Walsh had been nice enough, but it hadn’t been love. She ended the engagement almost as soon as she accepted it and after graduation, he headed back to New York and she returned to Storybrooke. Running into Neal and their little date at the diner had been the first thing that had felt right in a long time. The kiss had meant everything to her, it brought all those old feelings back.

 

The breakup had been more or less her idea. While it was mutual, she had been the one to bring it up. When they took their SATs their junior year, the subject of college of course came up. Emma expressed interest in staying local, going to University of Maine which was only about 2 hours away from Storybrooke. Neal was going to apply there too, as a backup, but his dream schools were in Boston and California. She feared what that would mean but Neal constantly said he doubted he would get into any of those other schools. He was right about Boston, but then he got the thick envelope from California College of the Arts.

 

She never asked him to stay behind and he never offered, there was no point in that. They at first debated doing the whole long distance thing. He would come home for breaks and she would be there too, they’d e-mail, Skype, text and call, the whole thing. But it wouldn’t be the same. They’d be on two different coasts, around new people. She trusted that neither would stray, but that it would cause an unnecessary strain. She’d rather it end on a good note with the potential of them still being friends than on a bad one where they never spoke again.

 

Neal hadn’t agreed right away, he claimed they could make it work but he gave in within the next couple of days. They didn’t break up until the last possible moment, savoring the final moments of their relationship. Emma wasn’t one to cry, she only did over certain movies and when her grandma Ruth had died. But the day that she watched Mr. Gold’s Cadillac drive away from her home, she went back up to her room and cried for hours. That part of her heart that loved him, it never went away. No matter how many guys she dated, no matter how much she avoided him on breaks. Neal Gold was still the love of her life and she couldn’t imagine a time in which that was going to change.

 

At Any Given Sundae, when Gideon claimed that Neal was still in love with her, she wasn’t sure if she believed it. He was just a little kid and they were notorious for picking up on things from their parents. Emma’s own parents didn’t buy that she had ever been over Neal. They had treated Walsh kindly, but when it ended, her father confessed he always pictured walking her down the aisle to Neal. It would make sense if Belle and Ewan Gold felt the same way. Even now, she still wasn’t sure. Yes, they had kissed but that didn’t mean he felt the same as her.

 

That was being proven that in the near 24 hours since their date, he hadn’t responded to any of her texts or phone calls. She wasn’t trying to be possessive and it didn’t upset her too much, but it just wasn’t Neal. She was about to chalk it up to him just being busy with Gideon when her cell rang, Neal’s name coming up over the caller ID. He hadn’t changed his number in all those years. She slid the green bar over and held it to her ear.

 

“Hey.”

There was some silence until a little voice came through. “Mama?” Emma raised an eyebrow and was confused for a minute until she realized who it could possibly be.

“Gideon?”

“Uh huh.”

“It’s Emma. Were you trying to call your mom?”

A little more silence. “Uh huh.”

“Is Neal okay?”

“Yeah. I just miss my mama.”

“Oh.” Emma frowned. “I’m sorry.” On the other end she heard some footsteps followed by Neal’s muffled voice, though she couldn’t make out what he was saying. Some shuffling and soon her ex’s voice could be heard.

“Hello?”

“It’s me. Gideon called me, I think he was trying to reach Belle.”

Neal sighed. “I’m sorry, it’s been a hard day. He should be settling down for bed, but it’s been hard. Papa’s out on the road so he can’t answer and Mama’s in the hospital so her reception is s-h-i-t.”

“Poor kid.” Emma hesitated for a minute, not wanting to overstep. “Do you want me to come over and help?”

“I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“It’s no trouble, really. I used to babysit for Ashley and Sean’s kid, remember? I know a thing or two about kids who miss their parents.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I’ll be there in 10 minutes.”

“You’re amazing.”

“I know.” Emma smirked even though he couldn’t see her and hung up the phone.

 

She pushed herself up off her bed and grabbed her purse off the hook. She had started leasing the apartment not too long after she returned from school. She was still finishing up her degree but could do most of it online so her parents agreed to let her use the money she typically would on room and board on rent for it. She loved them and Leo (who had opted out of school and was instead working for the local auto body shop) but she needed her own space. It was a decent size place for the rent she paid, she had set up her room in the little loft area that was above everything else. Heading down the stairs and locking up behind her, she took off for the Gold residence.

 

When she was a little girl, she had been fascinated by the large pink home. She had even asked her parents if they could paint theirs like that (met with a big fat no). It reminded her of a Barbie Dream House. Neal had always spent more time at her own house considering his father’s work schedule, but as they got older and could look after themselves, the pair and their friends would choose to go there. No parental supervision and an endless supply of snacks that Ewan purchased to keep up with his son’s growth spurt. It was at that house that she had realized that she had feelings for him.

 

It had been just a few weeks before the freshmen year was supposed to begin. Emma and her family had spent the summer visiting Mary Margaret’s parents in Minnesota. It had been the most boring one of her life and she was so excited to be reunited with all her friends. Ewan had agreed to let Neal throw a little party to break in the school year. She had carpooled with Lily and the minute they walked in, her jaw dropped. Neal’s baby fat had long gone, he had shot up at least 6 inches and was starting to get facial hair. It took all she had not to tackle him and claim him as hers.

 

The house hadn’t changed much since she last saw it. It wasn’t one she had to pass to get anywhere, so it had been awhile. The only recent addition were a few toys scattered in the yard and some chalk drawings in the drive. She could remember a time when she and Neal would do something like that. Keeping the smile on her face, she walked up the porch and knocked on the door. A few minutes later, Neal opened the door, a grin going across his face once he saw her.

 

“Hey,” he said. “Thanks for coming.”

“It’s no problem Where is he?”

“Up in his bedroom. I finally managed to get him into some pajamas, but he still won’t sleep.”

“I can fix that.” Once Neal stepped aside so she could walk in, she looked around. While the outside had stayed mostly the same, the interior was a different story. All new furniture in the living room and from what she could see, the kitchen had new appliances. Even the paint job was different. “Wow, it’s so different.”

“Yeah, after I left for college, Mama and Papa decided it would be best to redecorate. Took some getting used to but hey,” he shrugged and lead her up the stairs. Out of habit, Emma almost went to the door at the very end of the hall, but allowed Neal to redirect her to one across from the master.

 

Gideon sat on his bed, hugging his teddy bear to his chest. Emma couldn’t believe what a blend of Ewan and Belle he was. Neal didn’t look much like his father, he had seen a few pictures of his birth mother and he definitely resembled her more. Gideon had his mother’s hair color but it was floofy like his father’s. Normally when she saw him, he had the biggest smile on his face but right now he could probably win the “Saddest Kid In The World” competition.

 

“Hey Gid,” Emma said. He looked up and a shadow of a smile went across his face, but overall it stayed the same. She crossed over to the bed, sitting on one side while Neal sat on the other. “What’s wrong?”

“I miss Mama and Papa,” he replied, his voice quiet.

“I understand that. I once had to be away from my parents and people I loved for a long time,” Emma said, giving him a sympathetic smile. “I missed them lots.”

“Really?”

“Yeah and I think they missed me too,” Emma said. “Because…even when you’re away from the people that you love, you still care about them.”

 

Neal suddenly looked up from his brother and met Emma’s eyes. He hadn’t seen that look in her eyes in quite some time, it wasn’t one he could place. All he knew in that moment was that she definitely was not talking about Mary Margaret and David.

 

Emma continued speaking, trying to ignore the look Neal was giving her. “Your mama and papa will be home soon. They wish they could be with you, they love you so much. I know it’s hard, but for now, you’ve got Neal.” Gideon looked over at his older brother, who gave him a big smile. “And I know he loves you so much too.”

“Emma’s right,” Neal confirmed with a wink.

Gideon nodding, glancing between the two of them. “Can Emma tuck me in?”

Emma softly smiled. “Sure.”

 

Gideon laid down and Emma pulled the covers up over him while Neal tucked his teddy bear under his arm, giving his head a kiss.

 

“Sweet dreams, kid,” Emma whispered. She got up with Neal, watching him turn on the nightlight before following him out of the room and shutting the door. She chewed on her bottom lip, unsure of what to do.

“Do you want to come to my room?” Neal offered, his voice low.

 

Emma nodded and walked with him down the hall. It hadn’t changed much since the last time she had been in there. The only difference was the degree that hung next to his high school diploma. All of his old sketches hung on the wall, some new, others from when they were teenagers. Her eyes fell on one he had done of her in the park when their group had a picnic. She had been leaning back, her chin resting on her palm as she chatted with Lily.

 

“You still have this,” she said.

Neal nodded. “Of course I do.” He watched her examine the other pictures. “Did you mean what you said? To Gideon?”

Emma froze in place, refusing to turn around. “Yeah…I did.” She could feel Neal walking up behind her and felt her heart pounding in her chest. Had she completely screwed up?

“You were right.” His breath felt hot against her ear. “You don’t stop caring about the people you love…even if you have to be apart.” She turned around, finding them standing mere inches from one another. This time, he was the one to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she deepened it and nearly let out a moan from him merely wrapping his arms around her waist. She hadn’t realized how much she had missed just that…

 

The two of them stayed in place for a minute, not breaking apart. When their lips finally did, Neal realized she was trying to get his shirt off. He smiled and did the same with her. It wasn’t long before they were both falling back onto his bed, his hand making his way up her chest and feeling the keychain that still hung there. They had found their way back home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I do take prompts for any of my verses or even to start off new ones along with answering questions about my writing on my fanfiction Tumblr: justanoutlawfanfiction.


	4. Sleepovers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just one of my own. We’ve seen Belle but not Gold yet, so here we go.

Emma woke up to the feeling of a pair of arms wrapped around her body. She let out a content sigh, snuggling up to him. It had been too long since she had last woken up like that, with him anyway. The last time had been the morning he was due to leave. The two had driven to the beach and spent one last night in the bug. She woke up with a sore neck and a heavy heart, but none of that mattered, because he had been holding her. Now, there wasn’t that anxiety. He was with her and he wasn’t going anywhere.

 

“Mmm…good morning,” Neal mumbled sleepily into her ear.

“Morning,” she looked up at him, smiling. He had a serious case of bedhead, but she was imagining she didn’t look so great herself. “What time is it?”

Neal looked over at the clock and yawned. “8. I’m surprised Gideon isn’t up yet.” He traced the outline of the words that lined her shirt-well, his. When she had gotten up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, she couldn’t find her clothes, so she just slipped on his.

“We should go make him breakfast or something,” Emma suggested, softly.

“Later,” his lips connected with hers for a moment. “Think about it, when was the last time we woke up like this?”

“Forever ago.” Her smile faded a bit. “Neal…where is this going?”

“What do you mean?” His eyebrows arched and she gave him a knowing look.

“Come on, we just ran into each other again a couple of days ago…and now we’re…” Emma gestured to the two of them, her in his shirt, him wearing nothing but boxers. “Well, here.”

Neal shrugged, his mouth doing that confused-pout thing he was so well known for. “I guess to me, it feels like no time has passed.”

“You really think we can just jump into it like that again?”

“We kind of already did.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Sex isn’t what made us…us.”

“I know.” Neal’s face fell serious. “Look, Em…I never stopped thinking about you. I still…” He trailed off.

“Love me?” He sheepishly nodded. “I love you too.”

“So…we just let this go where it does.”

“Okay.” Emma paused for a moment. “I don’t want to ruin the moment…but I do have to tell you something. For the sake of not starting this off on a lie.”

Neal tried not to panic as he studied her face. “And that is?”

“I…I was engaged.” His expression didn’t change. “I only kept the ring for about a week, I realized it was a mistake to say yes. I didn’t love him.”

“How long were you together?”

“Six months.”

“And he proposed after that long?” Neal snorted. Emma’s eyes narrowed and smacked his bare chest.

“He was a sweet guy…just not the one.”

“Look, we broke up. So long as you’re not still engaged and you don’t have feelings for him, I don’t care.”

“What about you?” Emma bit her lip. “Anyone special over the past few years?”

“I dated some, nothing too serious. Longest was this girl, Tamara. We were together about 2 months. But she turned out to be crazy, so that was the end of that.” He shrugged. “There was no love or anything.”

Emma nodded, resting her head on his shoulder and put his arms back around her, kissing her temple. “I am going to need coffee, eventually.”

Neal chuckled. “Yeah, I figured that.”

 

Before either could move, the door burst open and Gideon ran in. Neal quickly broke apart from Emma and pulled the covers up more so they covered his chest. The little boy looked between them, his brows furrowing.

 

“Emma’s still here?”

“Uh huh, bud,” Neal said, glancing at Emma who was unsure of what to say or do.

“Why is she in your bed?”

“Well…we sort of had a sleepover.”

“Oh.” Gideon smiled. “Cool!” He scrambled up onto the bed, sitting between the two of them. Emma couldn’t help but laugh as she looked over at Neal, who was clearly also amused. Little kids could be so pure. “Are you staying for waffles?”

“I’d love to,” Emma told him, ruffling his hair.

 

 Something scraping across the hardwood floors could be heard and Neal instantly groaned. He knew just who that was and of course Gideon hadn’t shut the door. It was too late for anyone to do anything. A moment later, Ewan Gold stood in the doorway. As always, he was dressed to impress in a designer suit, a hand on his cane. Emma turned bright red, feeling like she was 17 again. Gold had walked in on them a couple of times over the years.

 

Neal watched as his father’s eyebrow raised and examined the scene in front of him. An amused smirk fell across his face. Gideon grinned upon realizing it was his father. “Papa!” He scrambled out of bed and ran towards his father, throwing his arms around his legs. Only groaning a slight tad from the sudden movement to his bad leg, Gold managed to pick him up.

“Hello, son.”

“Emma and Neal had a sleepover!”

“So, I can see.” He glanced over at Emma. “Nice to see you again, Emma.”

“You too, Mr. Gold,” Emma mumbled, wishing nothing more that she could turn invisible.

“Gideon, why don’t you go pick out some clothes. I’ll be through to help you in a moment.” He settled his son down and watched him scramble out of the room before returning his attention to his oldest. “Well, this certainly feels like old times.”

“Papa, we didn’t exactly plan on this…” Neal started.

“Well, again, that’s something I’ve heard before.”

Neal rolled his eyes. “Gideon only just ran in.”

“I trust you. I have to go help Gideon get ready. Are you staying for breakfast, Emma?” Emma merely nodded. “Great. See you soon.” He walked back out of the room and Neal could swear he heard his trademark laugh.

“Well that was just as humiliating as it was all the other times,” Emma muttered.

“At least we weren’t actually doing anything,” Neal added, getting out of bed, he glanced under the bed and saw Emma’s outfit from the night before, pulling out. “How’d it end up under there?”

“I have no clue,” Emma gratefully accepted the garments and got up, heading for the bathroom. “You sure it won’t be too awkward if I stay?”

“I think Gideon would throw the world’s biggest tantrum if you didn’t.”

 

Emma giggled a bit and walked behind the door, ready to freshen up. Neal dressed quickly, running a comb through his hair and headed downstairs to the kitchen. As he was searching for the waffle mix, he heard a voice behind him.

 

“So, you slept well.”

Neal jumped at the sound of his father’s voice. “Jesus Christ, Papa.” He turned around. “Where’s Gideon?”

“He’s insisting on dressing himself this morning, I had no desire to argue over it. I had to check out of my hotel far too early.” He walked a little closer. “So, you and Emma...”

“She just came over to help me get Gideon to bed, he missed you and Mama.”

“You’re a grown man, you can do what you please. I just recall you telling me that you and Emma were done.”

Neal sighed. “Papa…”

“Finished…no chance of reconciliation…” Gold trailed off with a smirk. “What changed?”

“I don’t know,” Neal replied, honestly. “But it feels right.”

“Well, I’m happy for you, son,” his father replied, his smirk being replaced with a genuine smile that Neal matched.

“Thanks.”

“However, perhaps if you and Emma want to have “sleepovers”, you should have them at her loft.”

“Trust me, we will.”

 

Gideon was downstairs first, his shirt inside out and his fly undone, but he allowed Neal to fix it. Emma was a little later, seeming a little less embarrassed than before. Though Gold’s looks between her and Neal weren’t helping things. By then, the first batch of waffles was just about done.

  
“Emma, you have to sit next to me,” Gideon said.

Neal pretended to look offended. “I want to sit next to Emma,” he teased.

Emma chuckled. “It’s alright boys, I’ll sit in the middle of you, no need to argue.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I do take prompts for any of my verses or even to start off new ones along with answering questions about my writing on my fanfiction Tumblr: justanoutlawfanfiction.


	5. Cute Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompted by oncer4life11: What if Emma, Neal and Gideon go out of Storybrooke for something and while out people think they are a little family. Gideon liking Emma and insisting she holds him, play along that they are a family. Neal is not so sure about it.
> 
> Also including Gideon getting more ice cream as many of you have said he deserves lots of it for playing matchmaker, haha.

“I want to see the monkeys!” Gideon announced as soon as they had made it past the entrance. Neal looked down at the map the woman manning the ticket booth had given him. Of course the monkeys were at the very back of the zoo. Emma glanced over to where he was looking and caught his face.

“Don’t worry, Gid,” she said, turning to him with a big smile. “We’re going to see everything.” Neal shot her a grateful look, this trip would’ve been a lot more difficult without her.

 

Leo Nolan had decided that as much as he loved Storybrooke, it was not for him. He had managed to get a job working at his friend Roland’s pub in Boston along with getting an apartment of his own. Mary Margaret, David and Emma had agreed to help him relocate but decided to also make a vacation out of it. They had invited the Golds to tag along as well, it had been awhile since Neal and Ewan had taken a trip with the Nolans. They hadn’t done it since around the time he met Belle, considering that was also when Neal and Emma had begun dating and they were a bit wary about the kids sharing a hotel room. Belle and Ewan were happy to accept, getting out of town for something other than business or a family emergency was rare given their busy work schedules. Now that Leo was all settled in, Emma volunteered for her and Neal to watch Gideon on their last day so Mary Margaret, David, Gold and Belle could have some adult time. Neal had been hoping the two of them could have some alone time, but eventually agreed-not that he’d have much choice anyway. She had decided they would go to the zoo and then get some lunch.

 

Neal had the diaper bag slung over his shoulder along with his hands on the stroller, though Gideon wasn’t in it. He was insisting on walking in the beginning, which meant his brother had to push the empty (yet still heavy) thing around. Emma had just told him to leave it in the car, but he knew his brother. In 20 minutes, he would be whining that he was tired of walking. For the moment, Gideon was holding onto Emma’s hand as they made their way to the bird habitats.

 

Emma and Gideon laughed over the flamingos that seemed to get into a fight. Emma narrated them, making up some story for the reason behind their squabble. Gideon absolutely loved it and encouraged her to tell more. Neal could feel the sun beating down on him, so he lowered his sunglasses onto his face, trying to be patient. He loved spending time with Gideon, this just wasn’t his idea of fun.

 

As it turned out, they had chosen to come to the zoo on the day where they were having some event. They were feeding some of the animals pumpkins. The three of them made it to the tiger exhibit just in time to see the show. Gideon was starting to whine so Neal went to put him in the stroller, but the toddler tugged on Emma’s pant leg, holding up his arms.

 

“Bud wait, I can hold you…” Neal started to say, not wanting to make Emma feel uncomfortable.

“It’s okay,” Emma assured him with a smile. She picked Gideon up, hoisting him onto her waist. He reached up to put his arms around her neck, watching and pointing as the zookeeper threw the pumpkin for the tiger to eat. Gideon made the sounds that a tiger would make and Emma giggled, copying him.

Neal hung back where he was, allowing them to freak out over the animal. He heard a man next to him say something and realized that he was trying to talk to him. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I said, kids and tigers,” the stranger said, chuckling a bit. “My daughter is obsessed with them.” He pointed forward to a little girl that was probably a couple of years older than Gideon.

“Yeah, Gideon loves all types of cats,” Neal replied. He wasn’t much for small talk, but he was a little bored. His brother had been monopolizing Emma all morning. He wasn’t jealous or anything, he was glad they got along, it just meant he was a tad left out. “He won’t stop asking for a kitten.”

“Don’t go there,” the man joked. “Grace got hers and that thing has taken over the house.” He laughed once again, which did get Neal raising an eyebrow. Though, he did remember that some people did just like laughing. “I’m Jefferson, by the way.”

“Neal.” He held out his hand for a shake. “How old is Grace?”

“5. And Gideon?”

“3, almost 4.”

Jefferson nodded. “Fun age.”

“He asks a million questions and we’re lucky we’ve held a tantrum off this long,” Neal smirked, in spite of himself.

“Well, for what it’s worth, your wife seems to have a good handle on things.” Jefferson nodded to Emma when he caught the confused look on the other man’s face.

“Oh…no. We’re not married.”

“No judgement. I don’t know why people make such a fuss about people getting married just because they have a kid.”

Neal’s mouth dropped open. He thought that Gideon was his son with Emma? Before he could correct him again, Emma walked back over, smiling. “Well, that was fun. I think we’re close to the giraffes. Those are my favorites.”

“We better get going,” Neal said, nodding to Jefferson. “Nice meeting you.”

“You as well.”

Emma caught the look on her boyfriend’s face as he pushed the stroller towards the giraffes. “You okay?”

“That guy…he thought we were a family.”

Emma started laughing, turning back a bit to get a look at Jefferson and then continued to walk. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, he thought we were his parents.”

“That’s crazy,” Emma shook her head, a smile still on her face. She looked down at the toddler in her arms and then over at Neal. They certainly seemed to be acting like a family. Gideon was the hyperactive toddler, Emma was the mom insisting that they saw each and every thing, while Neal was the grumpy father who carried the bags. They looked like a lot of the other families there. “Though…I guess we make a good looking one.”

Neal smiled at her. “We do.”

 

After spending some time with the giraffes and visiting a few other animals, they made it to the monkey house. Gideon had stayed in Emma’s arms the entire time while Neal fetched them snacks that Belle had stored in the diaper bag. Once he saw all the furry little creatures, Gideon asked to be put down. Emma obliged and watched him run off to get a closer look at the glass.

 

“Stay where we can see you, bud!” Neal called out. He wrapped an arm around Emma’s waist, pulling her close. She grinned and rest her head on his shoulder.

“I know today wasn’t your idea of fun,” she said. “So, thanks. I just wanted to do something nice for our parents.”

“You’re sill trying to make up for my dad walking in on our post-sleepover, aren’t you?”

“Oh, totally.”

Neal laughed, kissing her. “It’s fine. It’s not as bad as I thought. Though, Gideon keep stealing you away from me.” His hands slid down a little further and Emma smirked.

“Jealous?”

“Of a 3-year-old? No.”

“Well, we still have tonight,” Emma pointed out. “We’re not leaving until tomorrow night. I’m sure your parents will take over.”

“Dinner? I saw this Italian place.”

“Sounds perfect.” Emma kissed him again and a tiny voice saying “Eww” could be heard. The couple broke apart, glancing down at Gideon.

“You two kiss like Mama and Papa,” he complained.

Neal bit his lip as he tried to cover a laugh. “Sorry, bud. Come on, why don’t you show us your favorite monkey?”

 

When they were finished up, they headed to the zoo’s café for lunch. Gideon was too excited to eat much of his food as he went on and on about all the things he had seen that day, as if Emma and Neal hadn’t been there the whole time. They indulged him and listened, pretending it was all brand new information. Even though he barely touched his hot dog and fries, Emma got him some ice cream-which he did devour.

 

“Rocky road is the best!” Gideon proclaimed.

Emma grinned. “It really is, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Neal piped up as he took a bite of his chocolate. “That’s got too much stuff in it.”

“Marshmallows and nuts, what more could you want?” Emma asked, both she and Gideon giving him pointed looks.

Neal held up his spoon in mock defense. “Alright, didn’t realize I was up against the ice cream police.” Gideon giggled and ate another big spoonful of his ice cream.

 

The three headed to the exit, though Emma paused in front of the sign for the zoo. She caught the attention of a random passerby.

 

“Can you take our picture?” She asked. The woman nodded, accepting Emma’s camera. She waited for the couple to adjust themselves in front of the sign, Gideon still secure in Emma’s arms. They all gave big smiles as the woman took the picture and watched her check the screen to make sure it came out okay.

“Cute family,” she told Emma with a smile, handing back the camera. Emma looked at it, smiling once again. Neal put an arm around her, kissing her temple. The long, hectic morning and afternoon in the sun had been worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I do take prompts for any of my verses or even to start off new ones along with answering questions about my writing on my fanfiction Tumblr: justanoutlawfanfiction.


	6. Pregnant Pause

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve had a few people question when Swanfire would get pregnant or where Henry was, so here you have it. Warning, I know some people may be sensitive to reading about puke and there’s descriptions of it in this chapter. Read at your own risk. =)

Emma had only ever thrown up once before in a high school restroom. She had a terrible stomach flu but insisted on going so she could get a presentation out of the way (she hated public speaking). As soon as she had finished that up, she ran straight for the nearest toilet.

 

Now here she was…again. At least the faculty bathroom was nicer than the ones they gave the students.

 

When she finished up, she groaned and shut her eyes, reaching over to flush. Pushing herself up off her knees, she headed out to wash her hands, wanting to do anything to get the awful taste out of her mouth. It was the 7th day in a row and it coincided with another thing that had been happening for the past week. It was getting hard to ignore and she knew she couldn’t anymore, as much as she wished she could.

 

Pushing a stick of gum into her mouth, she didn’t even have to think about when it had happened. It stuck out so clearly in her mind. Neal had come over to the loft for a movie night, like the ones they had when they were younger. There had been pizza and terrible horror movies that they laughed at, before they found themselves halfway up the stairs. Neal had forgotten to bring a condom and Emma was out. In the heat of the moment, both of them hadn’t felt like pausing to run to the drug store.

 

 _What’s one time going to do?_ She could remember thinking to herself.

 

As Emma headed back to her office, she passed the health classroom. She could practically hear the teacher in sex ed, mocking her. It had been a stupid thought. She knew that. It had been one she had ignored time and time again as a teenager. Why at 23, did she think she was invincible?

 

Luckily, it was the end of the day. All she had to do was wait for the final bell to ring and for her supervisor to sign off on the paperwork for her to send back to her school. She was so close to finishing up the internship, soon she’d have her degree.

 

Along with a baby. Possibly.

 

Emma drove 15 minutes out of Storybrooke, not even wanting to risk someone in their microscopic town catching her buying the thing. It was more of a formality than anything, she had never been late before in her life and it all added up.

 

Once she got back to her loft, she dropped her purse and jacket on the floor, downing as much water as she could without making herself sick again. After taking the test, she sat at the island, waiting for the inevitable. Sure enough, after 5 minutes, the test had two pink lines.

 

“Shit,” she muttered, tossing it down onto the countertop.

* * *

 

It took her 3 days to tell Neal. She still wasn’t sure how she felt about all of it quite yet, but she couldn’t hold it in longer. She had gone to the clinic to confirm it with a blood test and she was for sure going to have a baby. She had contacted the one OBGYN in Storybrooke and made an appointment and was looking even harder for a job post-graduation. She had debated her other options, but after the doctor confirmed everything, she knew she wanted the baby. She hadn’t expected that…but she did. She just hoped he would have similar feelings.

 

Neal smiled at her as he entered the loft. He hadn’t heard from her over the past few days. As hard as she had tried to act as normal as possible, every time she went to text him, it almost came out. “Hey.” His lips connected with her own.

“Hey,” Emma gave him a half-smile and stuck her hands in her pockets. “Thanks for coming over.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Neal chuckled a bit. “After my dad telling us where we need to keep our sleepovers, I think it’s safe to say…”

“I’m pregnant!” She blurted out.

Neal raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“I’m pregnant,” Emma repeated.

Confusion was still on his face, as if it wasn’t really connecting. “You’re pregnant…like, with a baby?”

Emma’s eyes narrowed. “What else would it be?”

“Sorry, I just…” Neal stared at her for a minute, connecting the dots as if he realized when it happened. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“I didn’t think…are you sure?”

“I peed on a stick and went to the clinic in Brunswick. It’s for sure.” Emma was desperately trying to read his expression for how he felt, but nothing was coming up.

Neal chewed on his lip. “And you…I mean, I don’t care either way, but…you want to keep it?”

Emma nodded and was surprised when his expression didn’t change. “I thought about it. I still don’t know how to process all of this and I know it wasn’t planned, but I do want the kid.” She didn’t look him in the eye for the next part. “But that’s, my choice.”

“I would never ask you to do anything else, Em,” Neal told her, his voice shifting from confused to genuine concern.

“I know, that’s not what I meant. I meant, I’m choosing to keep this child…you’re free to decide what you want.”

“What I want?” Emma caught his glance and saw now that he looked hurt. “You think I would dump you or something?”

“Well, come on. It’s hardly the time.”

“That doesn’t mean that I would walk out on my kid…or you.”

Emma sighed, nodding. She felt so stupid for ever thinking otherwise. “We’ve only been back together 6 months.”

“I’m not saying it’s going to be easy…or that I’m not freaking out on the inside...but we’ll figure it out. Somehow.” He moved closer to her, putting a hand on her face. “I do love you.”

“I love you too,” she whispered.

“We can do this. I’m not saying we won’t mess up, but we’ll give it our best shot.”

“You seem so confident right now.”

Neal laughed, in spite of the situation. “I know we’ll be good parents. Our kid won’t get away with shit with you for a mother.” He could see a smile go across her face at that thought. “That’s not to say, it’s not okay to be freaking out. I am.”

“It still doesn’t feel real, even looking at the results and I’m the one that’s pregnant.”

“Do you have an appointment set up to get an ultrasound?”

“Yeah, but it’s not for a few more weeks.”

“I’ll go with you,” he said, squeezing her hand. That suddenly brought the tears that she had ben fighting off to her eyes.

“How are we going to do this?” Emma asked, her voice just barely cracking. “I mean, we don’t even live together.”

 

Neal bit his lip again. He didn’t know how any of it was going to work out, if they were even ready for any of it. At the same time, that “it” happened to be his child. He’d find a way to make it work. His father had done it alone for 15 years, at least Emma wasn’t Milah.

 

“We’ll figure it out,” he eventually said. “We’ve got about 9 months to do that.”

 

They waited until Emma’s ultrasound to consider telling anyone. She seemed to find it easier to keep a secret at that point, because she wasn’t alone. Neal had spent practically every night at her loft after that while they tried to at least figure some of it out. The ultrasound did make it more real, there was a tiny…something in there. Neal felt himself getting excited, as nervous as he was. Emma was taking more time, but every time she looked down at the black and white photo, she felt something in her. She wasn’t sure if it was maternal, but it made her feel happy. She was apprehensive along with excited to meet it. They still had time and she knew when the time came, she was going to love the kid.

 

The original plan was to tell their families together when Emma was a little further along.  That utterly failed when it came to the Golds. And just as Gideon was responsible for Emma and Neal reconnecting, he could take credit for that too.

 

Neal had a copy of the ultrasound and didn’t know where to put it. A part of him wanted to hang it where the rest of his pictures were, it was his proudest one yet, but he couldn’t. Not to mention, the other part of the plan was for him to move in with Emma as soon as he could. So, he had kept the picture under his pillow for safekeeping. No one ever went into his room.

 

Except for 4-year-olds with zero concept of privacy, that is.

 

He had been in the living room, trying to help his father set up the new television they had just purchased. Neither had bothered to actually read the manual, so Belle was sitting on the couch doing just that. Gideon suddenly appeared in the room, but none looked up to see what was in his hands.

 

“What’s this?” Gideon asked. Neal hadn’t glanced up, he accurately guessed Belle would. The gasp that followed got his eyes going in the direction of his little brother. His eyes widened at the black and white photo in his brother’s hands.

“That’s…nothing.” Neal got up and snatched it away.

“Neal,” Gideon gave him a look. “You’re supposed to say please, not snatch.”

It took all he had to not roll his eyes at the statement he had been taught. “And you know you’re not supposed to go in my room when I’m not in there.”

“But what is it?” The little boy insisted.

 

Neal sighed, looking back over at his parents, who both looked confused and shocked. He waved the picture in the air.

  
“Emma’s pregnant…and we’re keeping it.”

“Pregnant,” Gold repeated.

“Yes. Here.” He placed the ultrasound in his hands, watching his father stare at in awe. “We were waiting to tell you, just to be safe.”

“Did you think we would be angry?” Belle asked, her eyes on the picture.

“No, it’s just…a baby’s a lot for even us to take in.”

“Emma’s going to have a baby?” Gideon asked.

Neal nodded. “That’s right, bud.”

“What’s the picture, then?”

“It’s a picture of the baby, it’s still in Emma’s tummy right now.”

 

Gideon ran over to inspect the picture again and Neal used the opportunity to leave the room. He wasn’t upset with his little brother, he just wasn’t sure if he was ready to hear his parents’ proper reactions to it quite yet. He went out back and sat in the grass, pulling out his phone to text Emma on the situation. She wasn’t angry either, though she did point out that his hiding place had been shitty.

 

It didn’t take long for him to feel someone sitting beside him. “How do you feel about it?” Belle asked.

“Scared…excited…a whole bunch of shi…stuff,” Neal corrected himself.

Belle giggled a bit at that. “That’s parenthood, for you.”

“You were in your early 30s when you got pregnant and you had actually been trying.”

“I know it’s scary and I can’t say that I’m not a little scared for both of you,” Belle admitted. “You’re both so young, barely out of college…”

“Gee, this pep talk is doing wonders,” Neal retorted with an eyeroll.

“I’m not going to lie to you, it’s going to be the hardest job you ever had. However, your father and I are going to support you in any way you want us to.”

Neal nodded, slowly. “You’re not mad?”

“Am I thrilled I’m going to be a grandma before 40? No.” He could see the smirk on her face. “And in spite of my fears, I know you two will be okay. The child won’t lack for love.”

“What if I screw it up?”

“You won’t screw it up,” Belle put a hand on his arm. “You’ll make mistakes, everyone does. Even so, you’ll learn.”

“Is Papa mad?”

“No, he’s not,” his father’s voice could be heard from behind him. Neal stood up, turning around. “Like Belle said, it’s going to be scary…but fatherhood is great. I would know.”

Neal smiled just a bit. “Thanks.”

“There’s a lot to still talk about, but we can do that later. For now, I want a copy of my grandson’s first picture.”

The smile got a little wider. “I can do that…but we don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl yet.”

“It’s a boy,” Gold said, confidentially. “I’d be willing to put money on it. I was right about Gideon.”

Belle rolled her eyes, raising to her feet. “You had a 50/50 shot.”

 

Neal tuned out the two of them bantering as he texted Emma…

_We’ve got this. I love you._

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn’t think this thing would get 6 parts…or this serious haha. I’ll still take prompts for it if people are interested.


	7. Small Town, Big Mouths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompted by Anonyms on Tumblr, it’s pretty long, so you’ll just have to read to see what it’s about. The only thing I’ll say is that it takes place a little after Neal and Emma’s “sleepover”, so way before Emma became pregnant. I know I had a couple of requests for showing Emma’s pregnancy and some with baby Henry, those are coming, I promise.

Life was seemingly going back to normal after Belle returned from visiting with her father. Gold had arranged to set Moe up with a nurse so his wife wouldn’t have to be there longer than she wanted to. Gideon was clearly happy about having his mom back home and had already filled her in on his brother’s sleepover. All that got him in return was a big, fat “I told you so”. Neal wanted to roll his eyes, but he couldn’t.

 

Things were going well with Emma, really well. They were spending most nights together, going on little dates or even just spending time at each other’s homes. He had yet to see Emma’s parents again yet, but was due to over the weekend for family dinner. Gold and Belle had been kind enough to not bring up the “sleepover”. In return, Emma and Neal had been respectful enough to keep any further ones at Emma’s loft as per Ewan’s request.

 

It was just another day at the bookstore, Neal was manning the café which was a little busy since it was lunchtime. In the midst of fixing a latte, Neal saw Belle walking over holding Gideon’s hand.

 

“Hey guys,” he said before handing the cup off to the customer. “What’s up?”

“Your father will be here in a little bit to pick him up, but I have interviews, could you keep an eye on him for me?”

“I’m kinda busy here.”

“He can just sit here, he knows not to wander off, right Gideon?” Belle cast the toddler a warning glance and he nodded in return.

“Yes, Mama,” he said.

Neal shrugged his shoulders. “I guess that’s fine.”

“You’re the best!” Belle said. She turned back to Gideon and pointed to a table. “Sit right there, do as Neal says and wait for Papa to come.” She blew a kiss to each of the boys before heading to go meet her newest applicant.

 

In between customers, Neal would glance over at Gideon, who was looking at the pictures in various books that Belle had left with him. The older brother brought the younger one a cookie and hot chocolate to tend to while he waited, which seemed to cheer him up. Eventually, he could hear Gideon talking to various people. Storybrooke was a small town where everyone knew everyone, so he wasn’t really concerned. Mostly, he was talking about his parents going away and Neal being left in charge.

 

“Neal watched me,” he explained. “We went to Granny’s and had dinner with his friend, Emma. She was really, really pretty! Super nice too, she helped me go to sleep.”

 

Neal set the coffee pot he had been cleaning down and smiled. Gideon was so infatuated with Emma, it was adorable.  In return, Emma found the little boy to be adorable, just as most people did. Neal would’ve never been the type of kid to just talk to strangers and tell them everything about his day, but Gideon had the mixture of just being a very precocious child along with having Belle’s genes.

 

“I think she likes Neal though,” he could hear his brother explain. Whoever he was talking to was clearly just letting him ramble, making Neal believe they probably had kids themselves. He looked up but whoever it was had their back towards him, so all he could see was that it was some man with graying blonde hair. “They kiss sometimes… _on the lips_.” The last part came out in almost a whisper, as if it was a secret.

 

That got Neal’s attention once again, he and Emma weren’t really looking to advertise they were back together yet. Small towns have the biggest busy bodies and in the wrong person’s hands, it could be dangerous. He walked out from behind the counter to get a closer look and just as he got close enough to see, Gideon had moved onto the next tidbit of information.

 

“They have sleepovers. Now they have them at Emma’s, but Emma had one at our house. She wore Neal’s shirt!”

 

Neal felt the tips of his ears turned red as he got a very good look of the face of...David Nolan. Gideon had been going on and on to Emma’s _father_. Yes, they were grown adults, but getting caught the morning after had been embarrassing enough. David saw Neal and coughed a bit, clearly feeling a little uncomfortable about all the information he had just heard.

 

“Hello Neal.”

“Mr. Nolan,” Neal said. “It’s good to see you again.”

“You um…too. Emma mentioned you two had been seeing each other a bit. You’re meant to come over for dinner this weekend aren’t you?”

 _Well, now I’m going to get mysteriously ill to get out of it…_ “Yes, I am.”

“Are you and Emma going to have a sleepover there, too?” Gideon asked.

“ _No,_ ” David and Neal replied at about the same time. That made him look confused, he thought sleepovers were a good thing.

“You should. You always seem super happy after you have a sleepover with Emma.”

“Papa!” Neal called out, as he saw his father making his way through the bookstore. “Great, you’re here! Gideon, I’ll see you at home.”

As if he hadn’t just humiliated his brother, Gideon hopped out of seat. “Oh, okay! Bye Neal, bye Mr. Nolan!” He headed out of the café and towards his father.

 

Neal hadn’t ever felt so uncomfortable around David before. As if to make it worse, Emma made her way through the crowded bookstore. She saw her dad and boyfriend, a grin going across her face until she saw the looks on her own.

 

“What’s wrong?” She asked. “Daddy, did you say something to Neal?”

“No…it wasn’t him.”

David noticed another employee had taken Neal’s place behind the counter. “I’m gonna go order. Hot chocolate, Em?”

“Please,” she requested, still a little unsure as to why they were acting so strange. “With cinnamon.”

“Neal, you’re um, welcome to join us,” David said, heading over to put in his order.

Emma raised an eyebrow. “What’s going on?”

“Gideon told your dad about our “sleepovers”.”

Emma snorted. “Seriously?”

“It’s not funny, Emma! I think your father wants to kill me now.”

“Please.” Emma rolled her eyes. “It’s just awkward. He’ll get over it by dinner this weekend.”

“Oh no, I’m coming down with a case of the flu or something like that. There’s no way I can sit across from your father after this conversation.”

“Really? Need I remind you that I had waffles with your father after he walked in on you not wearing a shirt and me wearing your own?” He thought about it for a minute. “You’ll be good. If it makes you feel any better, we won’t invite Gideon so he can’t tell any more embarrassing stories.”

“That kid has a big mouth.”

“Well, I would say some of it paid off,” Emma pointed out.

“How is it that a 3-year-old of all things is what got us back together?”

“It’s us. We’re anything but normal.”

“You know he may go around town telling people that we’ve been kissing and stuff.”

Emma shrugged. “So what?”

“That doesn’t bother you?”

“Does it bother you?”

Neal shook his head, honestly. “No. I just wasn’t sure if you were ready.”

“It’s a small town, let them talk. None of that matters.”

Neal smiled. “I guess you’re right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said, I know I have some prompts for Emma’s pregnancy and their life with Henry. I had one specific one involving Gideon, but if anyone has any specific ones, let me know! You can contact me either on here or on my fanfiction Tumblr: justanoutlawfanfiction.


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